Love is Intoxicating
by silentmusic16
Summary: Even on a gray winter morning love can bloom. A Ritsu/Mio oneshot with a lemon.


**I wrote this almost a year and a half ago and recently found it buried in a notebook in an old backpack. I edited it quite a bit, and I think I'm happy with the final result. Warning: there's a lemon.**

 **Enjoy.**

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Gray light filtered through closed blinds early that morning. It couldn't have been more than 6am, and the early morning's light cast great shadows on the wall of the things on which it shown. None were more noticeable, however, than a singular arm and hand reaching up in a well needed stretch. The arm belonged to one Ritsu Tainaka, half-asleep and fully hung-over after a long night - the details of which she couldn't recall with such a blaring headache like sirens racing through her skull. As she half stumbled, half rolled out of bed for an asprin she guided herself only by feeling around the floor with her feet and the walls with her hands; had she tried opening her eyes the dull light of a cloudy day's morn would've fried her brain.

"God... what did I do last night?" she wondered.

One whole glass of water and two aspirins later, Ritsu gingerly laid herself down in her bed - sudden movements would've set her brain alight and the contents of her stomach would've blown all over the room like a lawn sprinkler from Hell itself.

It was when she rolled over, however, that she was truly awoken from her early morning stupor.

Long black hair. Soft pure skin. The beauty of her body taking breath. Beside Ritsu, right there in her own bed was Ritsu's very best friend Mio Akiyama. The girl's unblemished back was turned toward the drummer and she slept deeply.

The drummer stifled a yelp. What was Mio doing in her bed? Why were they both naked? What in God's name went down on the night before? And why was this, despite the confusion, everything she had ever wanted?

Ritsu didn't know what to do first: should she wake Mio up? No - the bassist would die from embarrassment immediately! Should she get dressed, just in case? For the time being, Ritsu stared contentedly at Mio, while racking her brain for info from the night before.

At first all she could recall were indistinct flashes. A thermos of tea mixed with alcohol while the girls celebrated a concert. Being held back by Mugi while throwing up. Sitting on a bench watching trains come and go in the night. Mugi, Yui, and Azusa being driven home by Ui….

And then the night became much clearer to Ritsu, who blushed in response to the incoming memories. The two of them, her and Mio, had stumbled into Ritsu's home - conveniently empty, due to the rest of her family's vacation plans. She struggled for a second while reaching for her father's "hidden" bottle of brandy due to her height, but drank straight from the bottle and passed it onto Mio (whose inhibitions of indirect kisses gone with her common sense) took an even larger gulp than Ritsu herself.

Back and forth they passed the bottle, laughing and joking and teasing all the while, until Mio - out of nowhere - placed a kiss on Ritsu's unguarded lips. At this memory, Ritsu flushed even darker.

Now she began remembering even lewder events from the previous night, with each memory not only appearing within her mind but reigniting the feelings that coursed through her body as well. Mio's soft fingers trailing down her breasts...her own lips trailing kisses down Mio's neck...the spark between their lips as they moved from the kitchen to the bedroom without once separating. Nervous laughter had risen in Ritsu's throat and out of her mouth without her control. Blood rushed to her iridescent cheeks, red with a blush. A growing wetness down below….

Ritsu shook herself out of her reverie. Beside her Mio rolled over still deep asleep, eyes closed and breath even. To both Ritsu's horror and delight her bedmate was entirely nude. The warm green comforter on her bed cascaded down Mio's body, loose in some areas and tightly wrapped against others with most of her body visible with just a glance. Her breasts, soft and white were entirely uncovered. So was the tight stomach she worked so hard to keep despite all of the sweets Mugi provided in the bandroom. The blanket's protection started just above Mio's waist. The drummer froze in shock for just an instant, before fumbling around to cover Mio better - the girl deserved to keep some shred of her dignity in this situation. In a different time, had all of these events not been preceded by a night of drinking that Ritsu could barely remember, she might've been slightly more sinister and woken her bedmate up with a kiss, a prod, or a loving grope. A lot had happened in too short of a time, and stress management was not Ritsu's strong point. There was just too much to handle at the moment.

Despite all of Ritsu's attempts to clear her head it was the sight of Mio's body that brought even more memories to the surface.

After somewhat successfully getting into bed (after Ritsu bashed her leg against the bed frame) the girls kissed and groped for what seemed like forever. They were both so drunk that each felt as though their heads and bodies were separate - their heads congested with jello, their bodies live wires coursing with electricity. The dark bedroom was filled with gasps and sighs and small yelps escaping from the girls. At some point Ritsu had made the first real move and slid a hand down into Mio's panties that set the other girl's body on fire. Immediately Mio locked lips with the drummer and moaned into her mouth. This pleasure was something Mio (embarrassed by all things sexual) seldom even gave herself; having a trusted friend, the girl she loved make her feel this good was almost unimaginable. Ritsu took note and smirked, taking the moaning as an invitation. Still, neither girl wanted this evening to end with something so simple. The feelings each had harbored for years were now released and there was no closing Pandora's box.

"Mio." Ritsu barely whispered. "Can I...is this okay with you?"

Mio bit her lip and nodded. "P-please, Ricchan."

In the dark the two stripped each other, feeling their way with their fingers. Mio ran her fingers through the drummer's hair, wrapping locks of it around her fingers sweetly. Ritsu kept a steady rhythm; years of drumming had given the girl strong arms and wrists and the endurance needed for the task currently at hand - or, rather, at finger.

It didn't take long for Mio to begin her own "attack" on Ritsu, rubbing the girl sensually from her shoulders, down her chest, and finally settling on the drummer's womanhood. The new pleasure in her own body gave Ritsu a stronger drive to give the pleasure back in spades and soon both girls were well beyond excited.

Eventually Ritsu disengaged and trailed kisses down Mio's body, skipping her womanhood to instead line her kisses down Mio's thighs. This drove the bassist wild and she moaned in some mixture of anguish and pleasure. Ritsu took the signal and moved onto the main event. Having peeled those soft petals of Mio's apart, the drummer began to give her crush, her best friend, the pleasure that she had always wanted to give. Mio reassured her with moans and squirms and a hand to press Ritsu's head even closer to her body. Ritsu took the hint with gusto.

Mio was almost finished a number of times, somehow building more and more plateaus without reaching her summit and yet in the back of her mind she felt as though it was her turn to deal out the pleasure.

"Ritsu, wait." she whispered.

"I-it's my turn."

This simple comment brought a genuine smile to Ritsu's face, and she disengaged in order to kiss Mio a few times. The black-haired girl now assumed control, clamoring atop the drummer and followed the girl's example. With her strong bass-playing fingers Mio expertly "played" Ritsu, and the girl melted below her. Ritsu hadn't expected such a performance out of Mio and, unused to such a sensation, bucked and unfortunately headbutted Mio.

"Ow!"

"Are you okay Mio?"

"I'm fine" the girl giggled and this spread to Ritsu, who rubbed her own forehead while chuckling.

There in the dark, in the midst of something so passionate and cautious, the oppressively serious and nervous mood was broken down as the girls gripped each other in genuine mirth, their laughter growing louder and more carefree now that their barriers were broken. Now that their friendship was allowed to grow into something beautiful, something that they'd once held back in insecure fear.

Ritsu brought her face to meet Mio's and placed a kiss on the girl's lips, giggling all the while. MIo returned it with one of her own and the two of them once again assaulted each other with deeper and deeper kisses interjected with their jovial laughter. Now face to face and trading kisses, fingers were reintroduced. The girls stared lovingly at one another as they pleasured each other at the same time. There was something passed between them in the unbroken stare they gave. Something lovely. Their bodies pressed together both Ritsu and Mio were reaching the peak of their pleasure. Just before they exploded like fireworks Ritsu intertwined her free hand with Mio's and squeezed hard, and together they climaxed. Warmth. Wonderful warmth filled their bodies as though they had a star born between them.

Exhausted, happy, drunk, and in love the bandmates fell silent and, still grasping one another's hand, fell into a deep sleep.

The memories ended there and Ritsu could barely believe them. Still, the evidence spoke for itself: Mio was naked in her bed. Ritsu had a rather large bruise on her leg. The spread of clothes around the bed...all of it pointed to a night shared with her best friend and long time object of affection. Ritsu was at a loss for what would happen when Mio woke up: would she storm out, feeling angry and betrayed? Would she cry? Would she literally die from embarrassment?

Moving slowly so as not to shake up her head and make her headache worst, Ritsu slid off her bed and and put on a large t-shirt and a pair of shorts; being naked when Mio woke up might not be the best idea if the bassist didn't remember - or didn't like - what had happened the night before. Ritsu filled another glass with water and brought some aspirin to her bedside before carefully shaking her friend awake. Lazy eyelids opened and stared into the gray light of the room. Mio rose slowly, stretching her arms wide like bird wings and providing the blushing drummer with a good view of her breasts, unbeknownst to the still-sleepy girl. And yet, sparks of recognition began appearing in her slowly widening eyes as she took in the scene: she was in Ritsu's room, her clothing was scattered around the floor, and Ritsu herself was seated right before her naked body.

If embarrassment could be a cause of death, Mio would've likely died right then and there as she connected all the pieces to form the big picture: that she had slept with Ritsu and was currently naked in her best friend's bed. In shock Mio tumbled down to the floor and bumped her head.

"Ohgodohgodwhathappenedlastnight?!"

Ritsu couldn't help but giggle. "Relax Mio, take this. It's medicine for your aching head. And aching va-"

"STOP!" Mio covered her bright red face.

 _Enough teasing for now_ Ritsu thought. She handed Mio a sweater and pajama pants. "Put these on, okay?"

There was a pause, a silence.

"C-could you leave for a moment so that I could get dressed?" Mio asked.

Ritsu was confused. What _hadn't_ she seen last night? Why was Mio acting so nervous? But she left with a shrug, and Mio got dressed while fighting off her blaring headache. Thankfully the drummer had left the aspirin and water.

Nothing had been said for a while after Mio emerged from the room. Mio, arms wrapped around her knees, was mindlessly staring at the tv in Ritsu's living room without really watching it. A slight blush was still plastered on her face; she couldn't stop replaying the events of her sordid affair. The feelings of Ritsu's body against her's. Their soft lips coming together again and again….

None of these memories would leave her head, and she was even more confused by just how much she liked them. How much she'd like to make new ones.

Meanwhile, Ritsu was distractedly making breakfast for the two of them. Turning over her feelings in her head as she turned over pancakes in the pan, the drummer came to the conclusion that she would not back down, not now. There was a real connection between her and Mio that night. A connection she'd wanted for years and years. The first step, really, to moving up from best friends to something more.

Ritsu brought the two plates of pancakes into the living room, passing one to Mio and keeping the other for herself. They ate in silence for a while, but Mio kept looking back towards Ritsu, then darting her eyes away. It was getting to Ritsu.

"Everything okay Mio?"

"A-about last night…" she began nervously. "I-if you didn't want….a-are you okay with it, Ricchan?"

Ritsu, secure in her true feelings, decided to tease Mio just a bit. "Well, now that you mention it…."

Mio's face dropped. "T-then I'm sorry for what happ-"

"I was kidding, Mio." Ritsu placed a comforting hand on the bassist's shoulders and smiled wide, innocently. "I'm really happy. I wanted that...no, I wanted _you_ for so long."

A similar smile lit up the other girl's face as well, and she leaned her head on the drummer's shoulder. "Me too, Ricchan."

"My head is killing me." Ritsu chuckled. Mio groaned in agreement.

The two had spent most of the day cuddling on the couch beneath a warm blanket. Something about the slow snow falling outside had preempted any kind of date idea that Ritsu had brought up. That and their hangovers.

As day began transitioning into night, the girls got a text from Mugi to meet at a local park. It was time for snow angels and fresh baked cookies, and Azusa and Yui wanted to have a bit of fun in the first real snowstorm of the Winter.

"Do you want to go?" Ritsu asked.

Mio reluctantly removed herself from Ritsu's warmth and stretched. "Maybe the cold air will make our heads feel better." she giggled.

Bundled up in coats and scarves, decked out in hats and boots and gloves, the two girls walked hand and hand first to a small cafe on the way to meet their friends. A bit of hot coffee would surely do wonders in the cold air. Inside, the cafe was decorated simply and the low, warm lighting gave off a comforting glow. John Coltrane's "My One and Only Love" filled the place with a wonderful sound that developed around the soft conversations coming from the other customers seated at various tables.

Mio and Ritsu sat across from each other until it was time to meet the other girls. They didn't speak, having spent so much of the day discussing their feelings and now each felt comfortable in the silence of the other. Together they had decided to follow down the path of their budding love, even if they had to keep it a secret from everyone else for a time.

Warmed by the coffee the girls set out to the park. For the five or so minutes it took to get to their friends, Ritsu and Mio held hands as they walked through the snowy streets. A young couple passed them the opposite way doing the same thing, absorbed in conversation.

The girls dropped their hands as the park came into view. Mugi waved them over, presenting the box of homemade cookies like some sort of trophy.

"I'll get 'em first!" Ritsu called as she darted away from Mio.

"Hey!" Mio followed after her, almost slipping in the snow on the way.

They both reached Mugi at the same time, laughing as the blonde lifted the box above their heads.

"I made enough for everyone!" she giggled

Yui had been on the swings when she hopped off, stumbling a bit, to greet the newcomers. Azusa too stopped sliding on the slide, but more out of embarrassment for possibly looking like a middle school student. On a park bench cleared of snow the girls shared cookies and (not alcoholic) tea from a thermos.

"Ricchan, Mio." Yui began between bites of a warm, gooey cookie, "Did you guys have a fun sleepover last night?"

Ritsu spit the tea out of her mouth and Mio went white. The time between the question and their minds reeling for some kind of answer must've only been a few seconds in real life, but it felt equal to the time it took from the birth of the universe until that point in the history of the world.

"Y-Y-YEP. FUN. WE HAD A SLEEPOVER." Ritsu sputtered, beet red.

"J-J-JUST SLEEPING." Mio added nervously, squatting in her usual show of nervousness.

Both Mugi and Azusa had grasped the accidental implication of the question, but Yui, the pure soul, didn't notice a thing. She looked at Ritsu and Mio somewhat confused, but accepted their answer nonetheless.

As the evening darkened into night and the snow picked up a bit, the girls all said their goodbyes and separated once again. Mio and Ritsu, living close to one another, walked side by side towards their homes.

At Mio's door the two girls stood facing each other, not knowing quite how to end the day. Taking matters into her own hands Ritsu gave the bassist a small, cute kiss. When they separated, white clouds floated up from their mouths into the cold air.

"Good night, Ricchan."

A genuine smile was given.

"Good night, Mio."

The smile was returned in full.

While walking home Ritsu couldn't help but pump a fist into the air in victory. She had Mio and all was right in the world.

Once in her warm bed again Ritsu rested her head where Mio's had been the night before. She could still smell the girl's shampoo and it lulled her into the best night sleep she'd ever had. And yet, she couldn't wait to wake up again in the morning; she was in a world now where she had truly gained something wonderful: the love of her very best friend, Mio.

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 **Thanks for reading! Any and all reviews/comments/criticism is welcome.**


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